Barriers to accessing perinatal mental health services and suggestions for improvement: qualitative study of women of Black and south Asian backgrounds.

Abstract

Background: Maternity outcomes for women from certain ethnic groups are notably poor, partly owing to their not receiving treatment from services.

Aims: To explore barriers to access among Black and south Asian women with perinatal mental health problems who did not access perinatal mental health services and suggestions for improvements, and to map findings on to the perinatal care pathway.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2020 and 2021 in the UK. Data were analysed using the framework method.

Results: Twenty-three women were interviewed, and various barriers were identified, including limited awareness of services, fear of child removal, stigma and unresponsiveness of perinatal mental health services. Whereas most barriers were related to access, fear of child removal, remote appointments and mask-wearing during COVID-19 affected the whole pathway. Recommendations include service promotion, screening and enhanced cultural understanding.

Conclusions: Women in this study, an underrepresented population in published literature, face societal, cultural, organisational and individual barriers that affect different aspects of the perinatal pathway.